Harbor Light. Reflections from Pastor Bruce. Dear Friends,

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1 Harbor Light Pcph.org Presbyterian Church of Palm Harbor January 2018 Dear Friends, Reflections from Pastor Bruce I hope your Christmas and holiday season was filled with joy and all good things from our Lord Jesus Christ. As I mentioned a few times, we began a new calendar year for the Church on Sunday, December 3. That was our New Year s Day, and now through Pentecost Sunday on May 20, we will listen to the gospel story of Jesus life, his teaching, and of course his death and resurrection. So for the first five months of 2018: What does that mean for us as followers of Jesus Christ? Who are we as the Body of Christ? Who is God calling us to be and how is God equipping us to act and serve? To sharpen your prayer life, read this quote from Frederick Buechner about who and what a disciple is. Furthermore, in being called to take up our crosses and follow Jesus Christ, we are called to participate in his suffering. Christianity affirms this love that suffers, and what is more, affirms it, not in spite of the fact that it suffers, but because of it. It affirms it for the reason that to love others to the point of suffering with them and for them in their own suffering is the only way to ultimately heal them, redeem them. It is God s way in Christ, and as we are called to participate with Christ in his suffering, so we are called to be partners with him in his work of redemption. For our own sakes, as well as for theirs, we are called to be Christs to all humankind, in other words, and that is close to the heart of our faith and of our lives together as Christians. Now and Then: A Memoir of Vocation, (p. 104). May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. A Safe Harbor where the Light of Christ Jesus directs all who are adrift to anchor themselves in Him. Creating Connections Through Christ Bruce Creating Connections Through Christ

2 January 2018 Creating Connections Through Christ Page 2 Valentine s Dinner Mark your calendar for Wednesday, February 14th for the Annual Valentine s Dinner sponsored by the Presbyterian Church. This dinner is for the whole congregation. Please join us for food and special entertainment. Fun for everyone! More details to follow. PCPH Women s Missions As a reminder of the PCPH Women's Missions, the Coordinating Team is once again asking your support for greatly needed non-food items for F.E.A.S.T. Many of the requested items are those that cannot be purchased with food stamps. As previously suggested, you can purchase many of these items at Dollar General or Dollar Tree at a nominal cost. For the month of January we are asking for body wash and any shampoo Quilting for Comfort Quilting continues at 10:00am on Tuesdays in the create and share room (104). We welcome everyone to come join us as we begin to plan for the 2018 graduating class. Experience or no experience, come join the fun.

3 January 2018 Creating Connections Through Christ Page 3 January For the 795 million people who are hungry today, the world is a challenging place, both in the cities and in the countryside. The urban poor face high prices and low incomes, making nutritious food unattainable. Rural families are often malnourished because of a lack of diverse nutrients in their diets, if they have enough to eat at all. In both cases, children suffer the most. ECHO is an information hub for development practitioners around the world. We gather solutions from around the world that are solving hunger problems and disseminate them to our active network. These solutions promote sustainable farming techniques, nutritional plants, and appropriate technologies. They are well tested and proven to be successful over and over again. Our purpose is to help those who are teaching farmers around the world know how to be more effective in producing enough to meet the needs of their families and their communities. They in turn teach others and the ECHO effect continues! In 35 years of assisting development workers around the world, ECHO has become the go-to organization for challenges faced by individuals and organizations. Amazing Potential in Appropriate Technology (AT) Biogas digesters using manure, food scraps, and/or plant residues to create methane gas which can be used for cooking, and the digester also creates a high quality compost to be used for agriculture. Improved Cookstoves can be very simply made clay or metal structures which can improve the efficiency of burning solid fuels for cooking and reduce the possibility of smoke inhalation and related diseases. Household water filters can be purchased or constructed from local materials and used for treating dirty, contaminated water to make it safe for drinking. This reduces the number of water-borne diseases which is a leading cause of death in developing countries. ECHO is using Appropriate Technology at the Global Farm in Florida for processing and preserving the crops we grow, to improve our soil, feed our animals through the dry season, and generate renewable energy. ECHO does this as part of our responsibility as stewards of creation, but also as part of our responsibility to serve others. The AT used at ECHO serves largely as a demonstration and teaching tool, so people are more knowledgeable and prepared when they go to work in international agricultural development. This is also true at ECHO's regional impact centers, where the AT can be more focused to the needs and resources of that particular region. *Irma Note: We are actively working to restore the farm after the hurricane. Please be patient while we recover and replant many areas of the farm.

4 January 2018 Creating Connections Through Christ Page 4 November Year to Date Income and Expenses January 15th Income: $221, Expenses: $252, Net Loss: $30, Martin Luther King Jr. Day Wednesday, January 10th Chili Cook-off 6:00pm This was a great event last year and hope even better this year. We hear Malissa and the Youth have been working on some recipes too! So bring your chili and your appetite and be ready for a fun night. Harbor Light Deadlines January 17 February 21 March 21 Bulletin Deadline Please submit your bulletin announcement by 1:00pm on Tuesday afternoon. If not received by then, your announcement may not appear in the Sunday bulletin.

5 January 2018 Creating Connections Through Christ Page 5 1 Fred Kaufman 18 Jean Talmadge 2 Purita Villao 18 Claudia Sjostedt 3 Judi Kratz 19 Carol Dust 3 Jamison Ashe 20 Alex Sjostedt 3 Lee Lahr 22 Emily Wilkinson 3 Melanie Miner 24 Jeff Drain 4 Kim Zimmerman 24 Lynne Fieldson 7 Inge Werner 25 Jeff Haslam 7 Don Dust 25 Ruth Snyder 8 Kyla Ray 26 Mechelle Henley 9 Lois Dewitt 26 Eileen Zirk 9 Al Tallman 28 Pat Budlong 10 Eleanor Beaumont 28 Larry McKinley 13 Ginny Branchfield 29 Betsy Mapes 17 Barbara Borham 30 Kevin Boyer 17 Arlene Brady 30 Anna Saglimbeni 17 Collin Coyle 31 Rachelle Walton 17 Bob Beem 5 Charlotte & David Farrior 5 Julie & Carlos Lozano 6 Suse & David MacKay 9 Lindsey & Andrew Barnes 10 Jackie & Gary Payne 25 Betsy & Thomas Mapes 28 Carol & Don Dust 28 Carol & Everett White

6 January 2018 Creating Connections Through Christ Page 6 Happy New Year 2018! We have added some new books on our shelves: Church Library News Ever after by Karen Kingsbury - Fiction - Large Print Hearts of Fire by Gracia Burnham Non-Fiction The Discipline of Grace by Jerry Bridges Non-Fiction Jackie Robinson by Michael Long & Chris Lamb Biography A large number of books were donated to the library recently. We have to browse each of the books to see if the material is appropriate for our use. We also have to check our files to see if any of the books are duplicates of books we already have. Sometimes a donated book is in better shape than one we already own so we remove the first book from the records & put the other one in its place. This all takes time, but we try to get new or replacement books added as soon as we can. More volunteers are always welcome. Please contact Ginny Branchfield at if you can help. Thursday, January 18th 7:00pm Childcare Available! ww.peggyos.com 1026 Florida Ave Palm Harbor Counting teams are being created and volunteers are needed for counting the offering after Sunday service. No experience necessary; we will train you. Takes approximately minutes. If interested, please stop by the church office any Sunday after service or contact the church office or Linda Burton.

7 January 2018 Creating Connections Through Christ Page 7 THANK YOU! Thank you to the great people that De-decorated the church on Monday, January 8 th. You are wonderful! - Alan, Linda and Lyle

8 January 2018 Creating Connections Through Christ Page 8 Presbyterian Church of Palm Harbor Children s Ministry Pre-School - 5 th Grade Nursery Birth- Age 3 Frolic A curriculum created for babies and toddlers that was developed by early childhood experts, Frolic resources introduce little ones to faith concepts in age appropriate ways. Our hope at PCPH is to equip all families with children of any age with the right materials to start their faith journey at a young age. Little Ones Age 4-6 SparkHouse Lectionary Curriculum Each week, kids, and their leaders gather together to explore their Bibles, enjoy fun activities, pray, and grow in faith. The curriculum follows the church lectionary in a fun and exciting way to create a faith that is grounded in truth. January Children s Ministry Teacher Schedule Jan 7th Leslie Children s Message Jan 7th Huiran Jan 14th Lori & Huiran Jan 14th Malissa Jan 21st Amanda & Malissa Jan 21st Bruce Jan 28th Leah & Huiran Jan 28th Lori Upcoming Events Wednesday, January 10th, 5:30pm 6:00pm Children's Worship Experience All kids ages 3-5th grade are welcome to join Miss Huiran for a fun God filled worship experience! This 30 minute service will feature praise songs, games, and a message to help children understand what God has in store for them for 2018! Children may be dropped off in the Sanctuary, and parents may wait in Fellowship Hall. Everyone is encouraged to stay for dinner at 6:00 pm.

9 January 2018 Creating Connections Through Christ Page 9 Thank you to the outgoing Class of 2017 elders for your hard work. We really appreciate all you have done. Angela Ashe Arden Bradshaw Mary DeMersseman Rick Whissel Huiran Xaxni Class of 2020 Elders! Betty Crisman Carol Heath Leah James Victoria Miller Carol Sanders

10 January 2018 Creating Connections Through Christ Page 10 YOUTH MINISTRY Presbyterian Church of Palm Harbor January 24th January Calendar January 10 th - 6pm - 8pm Chili Cook-off and Youth Group January 13 th - 3pm - Midnight Winter Jam - Amelie Arena January 17 th - 6pm - 8pm Youth Group January 19 th - 1pm - 5pm Open Youth Room January 24 th - 6pm - 8pm Youth Escape Room January 26 th - 1pm - 5pm Open Youth Room January 31 st - 6pm - 8pm Youth Group and Compline Middle/High School Ministry 6 th - 12 th Grades 6pm 8pm Cost $10 per person Mouse Trap Escape Palm Harbor US Hwy 19 N.